Random thoughts of a Birmingham-based political junkie and party hack, Labour member and activist. And a Councillor for the City of Birmingham, representing Acocks Green ward.

Monday, January 22, 2007

Cold Sutton Fields

You may remember the Suttons - another of those Tory double acts occupying seats in the Council House. You may even recall that they refused a sitting Tory councillor a recount - even though he was but a single vote behind the lovely Margaret.

Sadly, Tony Ward passed away recently. As is usual, condolences were offered at the meeting of the full council and the Suttons remained silent in tribute to their former colleague, unprepared to say a few words in memory of a man who had rendered service to his ward and his City.

Oddly enough, though, at the subsequent Ward Committee, when local voters were present, that reticence disappeared and Margaret decided that a minute's silence would be appropriate. Even more curious was that she didn't feel she had to do this following the death of another Kings Norton councillor who had been trying to start a farmers' market - a concept opposed by the Suttons until they smelt votes in the idea.

9 comments:

pugin
said...

Such bias and bile. PoliticakHackuk should look closure to there own benches on Birmingham City Council.Take the group secretary, Cllr Marje Bridle,she usually does not speak often in the Chamber and when she does it is not in support of her ward ( the area not Ian ),but is to attack the work done in Sutton Coldfield. I find this funny, as a resident of Sutton Coldfield she is a beneficiary of any money spent. Or is it a case of supporting the labour party spokesman for Sutton Coldfield, Dr Rob Pocock her partner, rather than supporting Shard End, where she should concentrate her efforts.

Ouch. For a dead designer and architect, you have a fair grasp of modern IT. Welcome to the readership.

Marje is entitled to query where the council are directing their spending and as a resident of Sutton Coldfield is absolutely right to challenge that spending. Perhaps she feels that she, along with other residents of that Tory paradise, has had quite enough spent on her and that some of the money could be better spent in areas of greater need.

As for the bias. Yup. You got me bang to rights there, guv. Its a fair cop.

In some of my posts, I take a step back and try to be more objective, but some of them are unashamedly party political. My allegiance is absolutely clear and up front. The big red logos to the right MIGHT be a clue.

In some of my posts, I take a step back and try to be more objective, but some of them are unashamedly party political. My allegiance is absolutely clear and up front. The big red logos to the right MIGHT be a clue.

FWIW, I enjoy reading this blog and I find you commendably forthright in your views of the national Labour party, but when it comes to the Birmingham Labour Party it's a bit like reading Pravda. That isn't necessarily a criticism, you've clearly decided you don't want to air internal disputes within the local party or criticise its membership/leadership, and that's your prerogative.

"It is normal practise to have one speech from each group. I did not recognise anything else at the last meeting."

It is not untypical to have one speech from each group particularly if the councillor in question has been off the council for decades. For more recently serving councillors there is very often more said and it is "normal practise", to quote a phrase, for someone who served the same ward as the departed councillor to say a few words.

Which ever way the Lib Dems try to stick up for their best friends it leaves a sour taste if Geoff Sutton couldn't muster up anything to say for himself.

We shouldn't expect anything less of them - they were quick enough to rally round John Lines once they had hopped into bed with the Tories.

I don't write about everything I know - even about the Lib Dems or Tories. Sometimes, I sit on stories because I can't make them stand up or because to run it would identify a source. It is always possible that I might not be aware of the internal disputes of which you write. Care to enlighten me?

If you want a criticism of the Birmingham Party, I'd say that we haven't been oppositional enough to the Tories and Lib Dems, but it is very hard to get the case over to the people of Birmingham when major elements of the media are soft on the Tories.

I don't want this to be like Pravda, or even Krasnaya Zvezda, and this isn't an official organ of the Labour Party in any way, but I don't intend to cause grief to my friends and colleagues.

As always, this is my blog and I play by my own rules. Thanks for the comments and I hope you keep reading.

I did try and pre-empt this response when writing the original post. I don't have any special knowledge of local Birmingham politics or of the Birmingham Labour Party; I was just making the point that, as a lay reader, your decision not to cause grief to your friends and colleagues gives your posts on Birmingham Labour a fairly uncritical tone, in contrast to your (welcome) criticisms of national party policy. As I said, that's your prerogative.

as someone who had close family links with tony, i know that he was truely dissalusioned with mrs & mr tobby jugg aka the suttons. he one said he felt more at home the the reds asthey at least cared about the ward they lived in.